Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane believes that Shubman Gill will open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma in the upcoming Asia Cup.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane said he would be happy if Sanju Samson is included in the playing XI.
“Shubman is back in the team; I’m sure he is most likely to open with Abhishek Sharma. Personally, I would like to see Sanju Samson in the team because he has done really well. He’s a very confident guy and a very good team man. I feel that is a very important quality.”
The 15-member squad for the Asia Cup was announced on 19 August, with Gill named as vice-captain. Gill also captained the Gujarat Titans (GT), who reached the playoffs in IPL 2025. The 25-year-old right-hander opened for GT and scored 650 runs at an average of 50. He had a fantastic series in England, both as a captain and a batter, where India fought back bravely to draw the series 2–2. Gill emerged as the highest run-scorer of the series, amassing 754 runs in five matches.
“Sanju is a great team man, but that’s a very good problem for the team management to have. In my opinion, Sanju Samson will probably sit out—though, as I said, I would like him to play and be in the playing XI. But Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the innings for the team,” Rahane added.
Samson has scored three centuries in his last 10 T20I matches. In IPL 2025, he accumulated 285 runs in nine matches at an average of 35.63 and a strike rate of 140.39.
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